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October 25, 2021

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Calls for strengthening pandemic measures as 11 regions affected

Source: Agencies | 00:00 UTC+8 October 25, 2021 | Print Edition

A TOTAL of 11 provincial-level regions have been affected within a week as a fresh outbreak of COVID-19 emerged in China, a spokesperson with the National Health Commission said yesterday.

Sporadic cases reported in various regions have been increasing ever since October 17, Mi Feng, spokesperson for the NHC, said.

Most of the cases have inter-region travel histories, increasing the risk of virus transmission to other regions, Mi said.

The spokesperson called for tightened anti-epidemic response against the new outbreak.

Beijing has tightened entry restrictions after new reports of local infections of COVID-19 in various regions across China, local authorities said.

Inbound travelers from areas with locally-transmitted cases must provide negative nucleic acid results within two days and undergo 14-day health observation after arriving in Beijing, said Pan Xuhong, deputy head and spokesperson of the municipal public security bureau.

On Saturday, culture and tourism authorities asked to tighten epidemic prevention and control measures in the sector. The circuit-breaker mechanism for trans-provincial tourism should be enforced vigorously, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said in a circular.

Tour group size needs to be put under strict control and operation of tourist trains was suspended as of Saturday. The circular also asked for stringent disinfection of indoor spaces, and no place shall be left unchecked.

Epidemiological investigation and viral genome sequencing results in hand have indicated that the new round of COVID-19 infections was caused by viruses transmitted from abroad, according to NHC.

The Delta variant is behind the fresh COVID-19 cases, Wu Liangyou, an official with the NHC, said, adding that efforts are still being made to trace the origins.

Two Shanghai tourists who recently tested positive for COVID-19 in northwest Shaanxi Province have been identified as having the Delta variant, China Central Television reported on Saturday.

China has given complete doses of COVID-19 vaccines to about 75.6 percent of its population as of October 23, Mi said yesterday.

Some 1.068 billion people have now been inoculated with the required dosages, out of a population of 1.412 billion. The country has administered a total of 2.245 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of October 23, official data showed.

China is giving people whose last dose was given at least six months ago a booster shot, with priority groups including essential workers, older people and those with weaker immune systems.

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